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About 500 plush dogs and cats are spread out with help from Lackawanna County Sheriff’s Department Cpl. Corey Cavalieri on Thursday at the Aaron Center in Dickson City, with more stuffed animals to be donated in the next few weeks.
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On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, Joseph P. McDonald manned the switchboard at Fort Shafter in Hawaii when he received the alarming message that radar had detected a large number of planes approaching from the north, heading fast for Oahu.
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An 18-year-old former Tunkhannock Area High School student pleaded guilty Friday to one count of terroristic threats for her role in an Oct. 5 bomb scare at the school.

Brielle Ankenbauer of Avery Station Road, Factoryville, faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine for the single misdemeanor count in the Wyoming County Court of Common Pleas.

She originally faced two felony counts of terroristic threats for causing the evacuation of a building and two misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person.

But her attorney, public defender Deborah Albert-Heise, and Wyoming County District Attorney Jeff Mitchell agreed to the lone count because it was her first offense.

Ms. Ankenbauer said she had been expelled from the school district for her actions. She told President Judge Russell Shurtleff Friday that in the past four months, she had completed her General Educational Development tests, so there was no issue with her being concerned about returning to school.

The Oct. 5 bomb threat by Ms. Ankenbauer forced school officials to evacuate the building. It was the first of five bomb scares in the Tunkhannock Area School District over the span of six weeks, all resulting in evacuations.

According to a police complaint, Ms. Ankenbauer and a juvenile accomplice entered the girls' locker room at the school around noon. Ms. Ankenbauer received a red marker from the accomplice and entered a bathroom stall. While the accomplice stood lookout, Ms. Ankenbauer allegedly wrote a threat that read, "Bomb @ 2:00 p.m. Auditorium 10/5/10."

The juvenile involved in this incident and two others implicated in the other threats are being prosecuted in juvenile court by Assistant District Attorney Paul Litwin.

He said one girl already entered a stipulation to a charge of making terroristic threats, which is the equivalent of a guilty plea. Juvenile court hearings for the other two are scheduled during February.

Also on Friday, a 26-year-old Dallas man faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $200,000 fine after pleading guilty to two felony counts of possession with intent to deliver marijuana.

Justin T. Giberson and three others had been arrested in late October as part of an undercover sting last summer in Mehoopany and Meshoppen townships.

According to criminal complaints, police used a small video camera hidden in an informant's car to record some of the transactions by Mr. Giberson and his alleged accomplices.

During a transaction on July 20, police said they observed Mr. Giberson's infant child in their car.

Mr. Giberson had faced five counts each of delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communications facility and four counts each of possession of a controlled substance and conspiracy, and one count of child endangerment for incidents on July 2 and July 20.

In the plea agreement, only two felony counts of possession moved forward, with the date of sentencing of Mr. Giberson not yet determined.

His wife, Jennifer Giberson, 21; Thomas M. Brunges Jr., 21, of Mehoopany; and Tiahgee Daughtry, 21, of Mehoopany, are being processed through county courts.

Mrs. Giberson was arraigned Jan. 12 on charges of criminal use of a communication facility, possession with intent to deliver and child endangerment for a July 23 incident where police said they again observed the Gibersons' infant child in their car.

Ms. Daughtry was arraigned on similar drug charges, also on Jan. 12, for incidents on July 20 and Oct. 22. Mr. Brunges was arraigned in December for an incident on July 20.

Other guilty pleas Friday:

- William Robert Deacon Jr., 32, of Hallstead, DUI, fourth or more offense on Jan. 25, 2009; faces a maximum sentence of five years in jail and $10,000 fine.

- Daniel Browning, 29, of Kingsley, receiving stolen property on Sept. 2, 2009; faces a maximum sentence of two years in jail and $5,000 fine.

- Jonathan Dale Keithline, 27, of Nicholson, recklessly endangering another person on March 6, 2009; faces a maximum sentence of two years in jail and a $5,000 fine.

- Garret James Yakoski, 29, of Springville, disorderly conduct on Sept. 24, 2009; faces a maximum sentence of one year in jail and $2,500 fine.

- Albert T. Williams III, 60, of Tunkhannock, disorderly conduct and harassment on Nov. 14; faces a maximum sentence of one year and 90 days in jail and a $2,800 fine.

- Wayne Matthew Brace, 24, of Shickshinny, simple assault on Sept. 4, 2010, faces a maximum sentence of one year in jail and $2,500 fine.

- John Martin Crowley, 52, of Wilkes-Barre, DUI, second offense; faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and $10,000 fine.

- Daniel L. Buechel, 26, of Mehoopany, possession of a controlled substance on Jan. 27, 2010, and criminal use of a communication facility on Jan. 19, 2010; faces a maximum sentence of eight years in jail and a fine of $17,500.

- Michael Allan Stever, 45, of Dallas, DUI, third offense, and disorderly conduct on April 2; faces a maximum sentence of six years in jail and a fine of $12,500.

- Jeremy L. Whitney, 38, of Meshoppen, DUI second offense on May 22; faces a maximum sentence of five years in jail and $10,000 fine.

- Robert Graham Milligan Jr., 22, of Tunkhannock, DUI first offense on Aug. 7, 2009; faces a maximum sentence of six months in jail and $5,000 fine.

- Frank Redmond, 52, of Harding, DUI first offense on Jan. 16, 2010; faces a maximum sentence of six months in jail and $5,000 fine.

- Donald Lawrence Miller, 22, of Tunkhannock, theft by unlawful taking on Nov. 29, 2008; faces a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a $2,500 fine.

- Michael Phaneuf, 55, of Meshoppen, bad checks on May 22; faces a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a $2,500 fine.

- Andrew Stephen Pisko, 28, of Gouldsboro, possession of drug paraphernalia on June 19; faces a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a $5,000 fine.

- David Anthony Cronauer, 46, of Tunkhannock, DUI first offense on Feb. 27; faces a maximum sentence of six months probation and a $300 fine.

Contact the writer: bbaker@wcexaminer.com

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